Jet runs off runway in Guyana

GEORGETOWN: A Caribbean Airlines jet early Saturday ran off the runway on landing at Guyana's Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

Several persons have had to be rescued, officials said.

Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle, said teams are still on the ground helping passengers of the flight, which originated in New York.

None of the 154 passengers and eight crew members was seriously injured, authorities said.

Health Minister Leslie Ramsammy told AFP that one person suffered a broken leg and several others sustained minor bruises.

They were being treated at a nearby district hospital and Guyana's main health care institution- the state run Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

The Boeing 737-800, operated by the Trinidad and Tobago state-owned Caribbean Airlines, was broken in two, after running off the runway and down a slope.

Police and soldiers have cordoned off the crash site.

Guyana's Cheddi Jagan International Airport was closed temporarily to all incoming and outgoing flights. (AFP)